Oil distributing and apportioning device



April 3, 1934. G. NEMETZ 1,953,564

OIL DISTRIBUTING AND APPORTIONING DEVICE Filed Aug. 17, 1932 INVeNTOr WW Wm Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UETD STATES P A T 'i F F i (If E OIL DISTRIBUTING AND APPORTIONING DEVICE Application August 17,

1932, Serial No. 629,236

In Italy March 11, 1932 6 Claims.

This invention relates to central lubricating arrangements and particularly to the feeding and apportioning devices which are inserted between the distributing pipes and the places to be lubricated in order to deliver definite and invariable quantities of the lubricant to each place to be lubricated at each feeding operation.

In a central lubricating arrangement the distributing pipes, by means of which the lubricant is led to the various places of consumption, are fed under pressure by means of a pump or a similar device actuated at intervals. This will cause a change of pressure within said pipes at each stroke and shortly after the maximum has been reached, the pressure falls down again to atmospheric pressure when the piston of said pump returns. Therefore, the quantities of lubricant delivered to the places of consumption would be unequal and would depend upon the 20 back pressure prevailing at said places, if no special means were provided for regulating said quantities in such a way that always equal p0rtions or quantities of the lubricating fluid are delivered to each of the places of consumption. With this object in view oil distributing and apportioning devices must be inserted between the distributing pipes proper and the places to be lubricated in order to secure the delivery of equal quantities of lubricant at each feeding operation effected by means of the pump.

Now the invention relates to improvements in such oil distributing and apportioning devices to be inserted between the distributing pipes and the places to be lubricated and it has for its object a simplification of said device and a reliable service of the same; at the same time the elements or parts necessary to effect the distributing and apportioning operation are reduced in number and are simplified in form while cer- 40 tain drawbacks hitherto associated with the operation of such distributing and apportioning appartus are eliminated.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing which shows several modifications of the same.

Fig. 1 of the drawing diagrammatically shows the most important parts of a central lubricating arrangement with the various devices for feeding and distributing some lubricating fluid to various places.

Fig. 2 shows a distributor or apportioning device proper by means of which the quantity of the lubricant to be delivered to a place of consumption is kept at a constant value, independent of the pressure in the distributing pipes and the back pressure at the place of consumption.

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 7 show several modifications of said distributing and apportioning device, while Fig. 6 shows some details of Fig. 5 on an enlarged scale.

The central lubricating arrangement shown in Fig. 1 comprises an oil pump 1 with a working piston 2 which may be actuated by hand or otherwise and which when pressed down will feed a lubricant under pressure to the distributing pipes 3. Between said distributing pipe or pipes 3 and the places 5 to be lubricated suitable distributing and apportioning devices 4 are inserted by means of which a definite quantity of the lubricant is fed to each of the various places of consumption 5. The distribution of the lubricant among said places 5 should be independent of the back pressure prevailing at said places or within the pipes leading thereto, as otherwise only certain places would be supplied with an excess of lubricant while others would receive insufiicient quantities or would be deprived of any supply at all.

A correct distribution, delivering in spite of the varying pressure conditions definite and invariable quantities to each place of consumption at each stroke of the pump, whatever be the back pressure, is effected by means of the distributing and apportioning device illustrated in various modifications in Figs. 2 to 7.

Said device, according to this invention, comprises a casing 6 containing a vertical bore or channel '7 which is provided at its lower end with an inlet opening or port 8 and at its upper end with an exit opening or port 9 for the lubricant. The exit port has a diameter which is much smaller than the diameter of the channel 7 so that it can be easily closed. A ball 10 is adapted to move within said bore 7 between the inlet and the exit opening and it has a smaller diameter than said bore, in order to be capable of easy movement therein, but a larger diameter than the exit opening 9, so that it may effectively seal said opening when pressed against it by the flow of the lubricant through the bore.

Above the bore 7 a chamber 11 is arranged which communicates with said bore by means of a duct 21, the upper part of which is adapted to form the seat for a non-return valve 12 controlled by a spring 22 working within said chamber. The said chamber 11 communicates with a duct or pipe 23 leading to the place 5 to be lubricated. The non-return valve prevents the back flow of oil or lubricant from the chamber 11 no through the duct 21 and the exit opening 9 into the bore 7. Whenever the back or counter pressure at one of the places 5 to be lubricated, which are to be provided with lubricant from the distributing and apportioning device, is much larger than the counter pressure at other places, it is of course necessary, in order to feed the lubricant to the various places, to produce a pressure within the distributing pipe which is higher than the highest counter pressure.

The delivery of a definite quantity of the lubricant to the place 5 is effected by means of the ball moving within the bore 7, which under the influence of the infiowing fluid entering at the port 8 will be raised with the fluid flowing upward in the manner of a floating piston and when a column of fiuid of the height a has been delivered will reach the exit port 9 of the bore and close it, so that no further delivery of fluid is possible, whatever be the pressure applied or the counter pressure from the place 5.

However, in view of the above explained facts the pressure, with which a ball 10 in one of the devices feeding a lubricating place with small counter pressure is pressed upon its seat around the port 9, will be very large, in view of the great excess pressure and the ball will thus cling to said seat firmly by virtue of adhesion.

To obtain dislodging of the ball that has been pressed firmly upon its upper seat after a decrease of the pressure within the distributing pipes to a certain extent, special means are provided according to my invention which may in certain cases include a spring and which acts directly or indirectly upon the ball, giving it an impulse away from its seat, so that the adhesion due to excess pressure does not interfere with correct operation. Once said ball is pushed away from its seat it will sink downwardly by gravity into x its lowermost position whenever the pressure ceases and thus is ready for the next operation of the pump.

Various arrangements can be designed to perform this dislodging function. It is of a special advantage to use means which are spring controlled or which include a spring. In this case the spring action will cease shortly after the separation or dislodging of the ball 10 from its seat, whereby many advantages may be obtained.

5. The ball in this case will begin to sink immediately when the pressure in the distributing pipe has been lowered and the device is again ready for operation after a very short time.

A further advantage consists in the fact that the apportioning of the lubricant effected by the ball is very precise; the oil flow will always carry with it the small weight of the ball upwardly, so that the movement or stroke of the ball 10 from its lowermost position to its position where it seals the exit opening 9 or" the channel will exactly determine the quantity of oil that is to be apportioned to the place to be lubricated.

An arrangement of this kind including a spring is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Around the 1 exit opening 9 a conical seat 13 is provided, upon i its seat 13 and as soon as the pressure holding the ball upwardly against its seat decreases to a certain extent, the spring will enter into action and will push the ball 10 away from its seat 13 so that it cannot cling to it by adhesion. This ar- 1 rangement may also be employed as an auxiliary means to assist other means employed for dislodging the ball if necessary.

Another modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 4. In this arrangement the spring pressure or the fiuid pressure acting upon the nonreturn valve 15 and pressing it upon its seat is used for pushing the ball 10 away from its seat 13 around the exit opening 9. The non-return Valve 15 in this case is provided with a suitable finger or projection 16 which passes through the duct 21 and through the exit opening 9, when the non-return valve returns to its seat and presses the ball 10 away from its seat 13.

Another modification of the arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. This arrangement allows a great simplification of the means used for detaching the ball from its seat. The nonreturn valve 17 in this case preferably has the form of a ball which is pressed against its seat by a spring 22; the length of the duct 21 is reduced, so that the exit opening 9 is located very close to the valve seat at the upper end of the duct. The ball shaped non-return valve 17 when seated thus projects with its part 18 (Fig. 6) through the plane passing through its seat or through the opening to be sealed and thus presses upon the ball 10 and pushes it away from its seat 13.

A further modification is shown in Fig. '7, where an arrangement is provided by means of which the ball 10 is pressed away from its seat 13 by means of oil pressure. In this case the nonreturn valve 19 which closes the duct 21 and which is pressed upon its seat by the spring 22 is provided with a piston like projection which fits into the cylindrical duct 21 connecting the exit opening 9 of the bore 7 with the chamber 11. This piston like projection 20 presses upon the column of fluid contained in the duct 21 when the non-return valve moves towards its seat.

Whenever, therefore, the oil pressure within the bore '7 is reduced to a certain extent and when the spring 22 (or the counter pressure) presses the valve 19 upon its seat and thus causes the piston like projection 20 to perform a stroke within the cylindrical duct 21 it acts upon a column of oil which transmits the pressure to the ball 10 seated upon the exit opening 9. The said ball is thus pushed away from its seat 13 by the oil column.

In order to act upon the ball 10 by means of oil pressure in the duct 21 it is, however, not necessary to provide a special non-return valve with a projection fitting into the duct. Every non-return valve, whatever its shape, will when seated produce a back pressure on the oil column within the duct 21, which either alone or in co-operation with other means will be capable of dislodging the ball 10.

What I claim is:

1. In an oil distributing and apportioning device, a casing provided with a cylindrical bore extending upwardly within the same, an admission opening in the lower part of the casing and an exit opening in its upper part, said exit opening being of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore, a ball freely movable along said bore, so as to be carried upwards by the flow of oil under pressure, the return of said ball being efifected solely by gravity under the influence of its weight, after relief of the oil pressure, a seat for said ball near the exit opening, said ball when seated closing the exit opening when pressed against it from below, a chamber above said exit opening within said casing and a nonreturn valve within said chamber preventing the back flow of fluid through said exit opening and means within said casing and acting independently of the gravity action of the ball to dislodge said ball from its seat after relief of pressure at the oil source.

2. An oil distributing and apportioning device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for dislodging said ball from its seat comprises a spring located near the exit opening and compressed by the ball, while pressed upon its seat.

3. In an oil distributing and apportioning device, a casing provided with a cylindrical bore extending upwardly within the same, an admission opening in the lower part of the casing and an exit opening in its upper part, said exit opening being of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore, a ball within said bore and a seat for said ball around the exit opening, said ball when on this seat thus closing the exit opening when pressed against it from below, a chamber above said exit opening communicating with said bore by means of an opening and a duct leading to said exit opening, a non return valve within said chamber for preventing the back flow of fluid into the bore through the exit opening, the length of said duct being so chosen that part of the non-return valve when moving towards its seat will extend through said duct and press against said ball to dislodge the same from its seat after relief of pressure at the oil source.

l. An oil distributing and apportioning device as set forth in claim 3, with said non-return valve having the form of a ball and a seat therefor arranged around the opening connecting said chamber with said duct, this seat being of such a diameter that part of the valve ball when mov ing towards its seat projects through said opening into the duct and contacts the ball in the upwardly directed cylindrical bore when seated upon said opening thus dislodging the last named ball after relief of pressure at the oil source.

5. In an oil distributing and apportioning device, a casing provided with a cylindrical bore extending upwardly within the same, an admission opening in the lower part of the casing and an exit opening in its upper part, said exit opening being of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore, a ball freely movable along said bore, so as to be carried upwards by the flow of oil under pressure, the return of said ball being effected solely by gravity under the influence of its weight after relief of the oil pressure, a seat for said ball around the exit opening, said ball when on its seat closing the exit opening when pressed against it from below, a chamber above said exit opening communicating with said bore by means of a duct leading to said exit opening, a non-return valve within said chamber, preventing the back flow of fluid into the bore through the exit opening, a piston like projection on said non-return valve filling the cross section of said duct and acting as a piston therein, said piston like projection displacing a fluid column contained in said duct when the non-return valve is moving towards its seat and thus displacing the ball from its seat after relief of the pressure at the oil source.

6. In an cil distributing and apportioning device, a casing provided with a cylindrical bore extending upwardly within the same, an admission opening in the lower part of the casing and an exit opening in its upper part, said exit opening being of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore, a ball freely movable along said bore, so as to be carried upwards by the flow of oil under pressure, the return of said ball being effected solely by gravity under the influence of its weight, after relief of the oil pressure, and a seat for said ball near the exit GUSTAV NEMETZ. 

